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Storyline

In this story of the early days of daylight bombing raids over Nazi Germany, General Frank Savage must take command of a "hard luck" bomber group. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets. Actual combat footage is used in this tense war drama. Written by
KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu>

Technical Specs

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's release was delayed because MGM's Command Decision (1948) beat 20th Century-Fox to the punch. The similarity in content between the two films forced Fox to hold back release for a few months. See more »

Goofs

In the film, a large white triangle with a black "A" inside it is painted on the vertical stabilizers (tail fins) of the 918th Bomb Group's B-17 airplanes. At the point in World War II depicted in the film, 8th Air Force B-17's did not yet bear these markings, carrying only the plane's serial number on the tail. The white triangle with a black "A" was the identifying insignia for the real-life 91st Bomb Group later in the war. The aircraft used in the movie were marked to match wartime combat camera footage, some of which featured 91st Bomb Group planes. See more »

Quotes

General Frank Savage:
[to a crewman who disobeyed orders]
So for the sake of your roommate you violated group integrity. Every gun on a B-17 is designed to give the group maximum defensive firepower - that's what I mean by group integrity. When you pull a B-17 out of a formation you reduce the defensive power of the group by ten guns. A crippled aeroplane has to be expendable. The one thing which is never expendable is your obligation to this group. This group... this group - that has to be your loyalty; your only ...
[...]See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

User Reviews

This movie is the only one I have seen that truly depicts how the air war was conducted in the 8th Air Force. It is patterned after the events which actually occurred at the 306th Bomb Group in England in 1943. In real life, General Savage (played by Gregory Peck) was General Frank Armstrong, former commander of the 306th Bomb Group; The first bomb group to fly over Germany.

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